Study strengths such as sample characteristics, multiple
and culturally sensitive methodologies, and theory-driven
hypotheses should be considered along with the following
study limitations. First, while we accounted for baseline
symptoms and utilized two waves of data, we did not
examine each process at a different timepoint, as is recommended
to obtain unbiased effect sizes and establish
directionality among processes (Cole and Maxwell 2003;
Maxwell and Cole 2007). Hence, findings do not indicate
that effects will be sustained over time (indeed, effect sizes
may be inflated) nor do they determine directionality
between variables. This study represents an initial step in
examining the family stress model with treatment-seeking,
lower income urban youth. It will be important for future
studies to address the potential transactional relationships